Author: Marie Labouesse

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Social Media for Academics

Social Media for Academics:

May 23rd, 2019, 6-8pm @ Fairchild, Morningside Campus (Organizer: Micaela Cunha & Alex Karambelas, Research & Professional Development Committee) 

Wondering about how to best use your digital presence to advance your career? You are not alone! Managing your activity in digital platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, ResearchGate, or others, can be daunting! 

 

   

 

This is why we hosted a Q&A panel with active social media users with an academic background, Mariam Aly and Alejandro de la Puente, to discuss different perspectives on how to leverage your online presence for your professional growth. 

 

Tips we learned:

– social media is great to grow your network

– cultivate connections, build relationships

– quantity vs. quality

– choose who to follow, prioritize, establish rules not to be overwhelmed

– do it because you like it, it’s not essential

Our speakers:

Mariam Aly  

Mariam Aly is an Assistant Professor in Psychology at Columbia University. She is passionate about science outreach and communication, and the importance of happy and healthy lab environments.

She uses Twitter in two main ways: 1) one aimed at science communication and career advancement — sharing and discussing papers, broadening her scientific network, and discussing controversial topics in her field. 2) Her other goal in using Twitter is to expose the human side of science by talking about imposter syndrome, mental health struggles, and the ups and downs of academia.

 

Alejandro de la Puente  

Alejandro de la Puente is the Associate Director of the Science Alliance at the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS). He received his PhD in theoretical physics. At NYAS, his goal is to provide all Science Alliance members with professional development programs and opportunities to help them grow their careers. Alejandro’s passion and mission is to help young STEM students and professionals achieve their full potential while increasing diversity and inclusivity in the STEM ecosystem in the U.S. and the wider world.

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Spring Yankees outing

Spring Yankees outing:

May 18th, 2019 @ Yankee Stadium (Organizer: Holly Hunsberger, Networking & Community Building Committee) 

Couple weeks ago a bunch of us ventured to the other side of the river — direction Yankee Stadium for a game against Tampa Bay. 

https://www.mlb.com/yankees

Beautiful spring day for a baseball game. The pinstripe pass tickets allowed us to view the game from multiple terrace areas while enjoying a free beer.

Great atmosphere and good chance for people to get outside and out of the lab!

 

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CUPS/OPA Annual Ski trip

CUPS/OPA Annual Ski trip:

February 10th, 2019 @ Hunter Mountain (Organizers: OPA & CUPS) 

We’re catching up and talking a little about some of our earlier events this year, before this blog was born (born May 2019).

One of the big events earlier this year was the Annual Postdoc Ski Trip !

In February, Ben (VP of CUPS at Morningside) and other postdocs went to Hunter Mountain in upstate New York for skiing and snowboarding!

There was beautiful weather and plenty of snow. Everyone got to “chill” (yep..:)) during lunch and discuss science on the lifts.

Looking forward to going again next year!

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CUPS 2019 first Art outing – Whitney Museum

CUPS very first Art outing – Whitney Museum:

May 24th, 2019 @ Whitney Museum (Organizer: Dhru Deb, Networking & Community Building Committee) 

A couple weeks ago, CUPS launched “CUPS HEART“, a series of CUPS-organized visits for postdocs to the most distinguished art museums and galleries in New York City!

whitney.org

A few of us headed downtown to Chelsea to the iconic Whitney Museum. On Friday nights they have a great “Pay as you wish” deal from 7pm-9:30pm.

There were many interesting exhibitions, the coolest one was called “Spilling Over: Painting Color in the 1960s” – which was a collection of paintings from the 60s that used bold & intense colors to activate perception and articulate new questions “specifically its relation to race, gender, and the coding of space.”

Work by Emma Amos, whitney.org

We also got to enjoy the stunning views of Hudson river and High Line from the open terrace!

Stay tuned for more CUPS art events this year! – Contact Dhru for any questions or suggestions.

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SciComm series: Get Your Presentation Skills Kicking

 CUPS SciComm Series:

Jan 29th, Feb 5th, Feb 12th, 2019 @ CUMC (Organizers: Micaela Cunha & Sandra Franco Iborra, Outreach & Communications Committee)

We kicked-off 2019 with a series of Science Communication Seminars focused on presentation skills for postdocs.

How to Prepare a Strong Scientific Presentation (Tatiana Schnieder)

Effectively communicating science is a must-have in today’s hypercompetitive research world, whether in our labs & department seminars, at conferences, or when pitching to potential sponsors. It can also be super useful if you want to get into teaching – or even when you’re trying to explain your work to your in-laws or your grandmother…

The Science of Slide Design (Eugene Douglass Jr)

That’s part of why we created the Outreach and Communications Committee this Jan – to help postdocs develop their SciComm skills through seminars & workshops. We’re also trying to develop some outreach work where postdocs can engage in public speaking & share their work outside the good old ivory tower.

Essential Elements for Effectively Delivering Your Presentation (Kyle Marian Viterbo)

Speakers Info:

How to Prepare a Strong Scientific Presentation, January 29th
Tatiana Schnieder  – Assist. Prof. of Clinical Neurobiology, Columbia University 

 

The Science of Slide Design, February 5th
Eugene Douglass Jr.    – Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Systems Biology, Columbia University.

 

Essential Elements for Effectively Delivering Your Presentation, February 12th
Kyle Marian Viterbo    – Science Communicator, The Symposium: Academic StandUp

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Dhru Deb’s Graphic Novel – on the why & how of cancer research

To kick off CUPS’ series on Science Stories, we are delighted to host Dhru Deb, Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Biomedical Engineering here at Columbia University. In addition to his role as a scientist, Dhru is also a visual artist with a passion for combining art & science. Below, you will discover’s Dhru’s first science cartoon inspired by his work as a cancer researcher. Dhru tells us here what inspired him this piece:

In a nutshell, what does your research focus on in the lab?

My goal is to engineer bacteria known to selectively reside inside tumors to secrete therapeutics and molecules that would attract our immune cells and kill the tumors.

What were your sources of inspiration for creating this Science Story?

My inspiration for this piece is three-fold:

  • A Graphic SciComm workshop delivered by Dr. Matteo Farinella and organized by CUPS added fuel to the fire as I have always been interested in exploring the connection between science & art and being supported by mentors such as Dr. Tal Danino at CU
  • The work of Julia Wertz (Illustrator for the New Yorker and Harper’s Bazaar) and Paula Scher (Graphic Designer at Pentagram)
  • My personal, absolute disdain for the dryness and overuse of infographics in the field of Scicomm

 Do you already have experience with creating Science Stories, graphical in this case? What would be your advice for people just trying it out for the first time?

I have experience in making graphic novels, sequential art and creative writing. But, this is my first data comic. My advice for others – try to find metaphors that people outside scientific research would be familiar with and never be patronizing.

To find out more about Dhru’s work, click here

Written & Graphical content created by Dhru Deb.

 

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Meet Micaela Cunha, Postdoctoral Fellow in Space Research

Dr. Micaela Cunha, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Space Research at Columbia University

Meet Our Postdocs: Micaela Cunha, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Space Research at Columbia University

Which department are you in at Columbia and what is your position?

I am a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Radiological Research in the Medical Center. I was awarded a fellowship by the NASA-funded Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH).

Where are you from and how long have you been in NYC?           

I am from Portugal, from a small town near Porto. I have been in NYC since December 2016.

Where did you go to school? Describe your path to your current position.          

I did my bachelors degree in Biomedical Engineering and my masters in Radiation and Medical Imaging, both at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. After two years working on projects related to image-guided radiation therapy and dosimetry for space radiation, I pursued my Ph.D degree in Medical Physics at the University Claude Bernard Lyon, France. I worked on developing and validating a new biophysical model to plan tumor treatment by ion beam radiotherapy.

What research question are you trying to figure out right now?

How to protect astronauts from developing cancer later in life after exposure to the space radiation environment.

In a nutshell, what tools or approaches are you using to try and figure this out?

The major limiting factor of long-term space travel is the risk of developing cancer later in life due to continued exposure to space radiation.

A possible way to reduce such risk is to use radioprotectors that work at a biological level. Several chemical compounds such as vitamins, antioxidants, or aspirin, have been shown to provide protection against carcinogenesis. The challenge lies in determining whether this protection would also happen for carcinogenesis induced by space radiation.

I analyze data of carcinogenesis induced by space radiation in combination with radioprotectors. Using mathematical models, the goal is to extract information about the biological mechanisms involved in space-radiation-induced carcinogenesis.

What is the best part of your job?            

To know that my work might make a difference in preserving other people’s health, regardless of whether it’s astronauts or radiotherapy patients!

Tell us a bit about yourself or your projects that are not related to science.           

I love fried chicken and watching Game of Thrones! Not necessarily at the same time though (laughs). Recently, I started running Spartan Races and really enjoyed the great atmosphere of camaraderie at these events. Moreover, each time you feel compelled to get out of your comfort zone and achieve more! You might be surprised at the things you can achieve when you are motivated and feel confident and encouraged! I try to apply this positive mindset to my daily life too and the result is amazing!

What is your favorite thing about NYC?

I don’t know about other places in the U.S., but what I love about NYC is that you have the chance to be yourself and discover your true self without being afraid of judgement. Coming to NYC gave me the opportunity of breaking free of a lot of preconceived ideas and explore who I really wanted to be.

When did you join CUPS and what is your current role, if any?        

August 2018. I heard about it during the new postdoc orientation and started following it on social media. One day I finally decided to attend the General Meeting to check out what they had going on. The group was very welcoming and I felt my voice heard since the very beginning. I then attended all the committee meetings to get to know people in CUPS better. Currently, I am Co-President for the Medical Center, social media manager, and active member of the Outreach & Communications and the Networking & Community Building Committees.

What do you like the most about CUPS? 

I love that CUPS is a really nice group of people that will enrich your experience in NYC at both a professional and personal level! It’s not just about building your communication or leadership skills, it’s about making meaningful connections with fellow postdocs! I started friendships within CUPS that I’m convinced will last for life! Highly recommend everyone to join!

To follow Micaela:

    

 

 

 

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A wintery ice-skating adventure for Postdocs

A wintery ice-skating adventure for Postdocs:

March 2, 2019 @ Lasker Rink (Organizer: Olaya Fernandez Gayol, Networking & Community Building Committee) 

Last month, Olaya brought Postdocs ice- skating ! Everyone met up at the Lasker Rink fully geared up for an icy adventure. Thanks to everyone who came and skated with us! It took team work to overcome the initial unexpected change of venue but we rerouted to another rink and ended up having a great time on the ice. The pictures will speak for themselves 🙂

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Graphic Communications for Scientists

Graphic Communications for Scientists:

February 19th & 26th, 2019 @ CUMC (Organizer: Marie Labouesse, Outreach & Communications Committee)

 

CUPS started off the year with a bunch of cool SciComm events. In February we got to hear Matteo Farinella, Presidential Scholar in Society and Neuroscience at Columbia University, graphic designer and scientist.

Thank you to him for an amazing workshop on the power of comics & graphical abstracts to convey complex scientific ideas!

Tips we learned: Carefully design the layout of your story on paper before starting to create your visual on laptop. Feel free to combine genres (real data, figurative, diagrams).

Most importantly: use metaphors & characters, this will catch your reader’s attention and even help them to deal with complex (or boring) scientific ideas that would otherwise frighten them!

Also heard about cool online tools for graphic design such as https://thenounproject.com  or https://biorender.com

After learning about the theory we got to try it out for real ! Pencils, paper & a couple hours to draft our own graphical abstracts. Creative vibes & a nice change from day-to-day lab business and raw data.

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